Councilor says he 'only had coffee' at hotel with woman, faces disciplinary action

A city councilor in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, is facing formal disciplinary proceedings after he was seen visiting a hotel with a woman during a council session.

The Gwangmyeong City Council opened its 302nd regular session on Friday and voted to refer a disciplinary request against the councilor, identified only as A, to its Special Committee on Ethics for review. The council also approved A's resignation from the ethics committee, on which he had been serving.

The committee plans to focus on whether the councilor violated his duty as a public official to maintain proper conduct and dignity.

The controversy erupted after local media reported that A was seen leaving a hotel in Geumcheon District, Seoul, with a woman Thursday afternoon, while the council's regular session was underway.

A said he went to the hotel only after completing all of his council duties for the day and denied that anything inappropriate had happened.

"I went to the hotel after finishing all of the council's scheduled business," he said. "I only had coffee at the hotel and left. Nothing else happened."

As criticism mounted following the report, A withdrew from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday night.

Civic groups and opposition councilors have called for strong disciplinary action.

The Gwangmyeong chapter of the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice said in a statement that even if A had completed his official schedule, he had acknowledged going to a hotel in broad daylight with an unidentified woman.

"It is questionable whether this can simply be dismissed as a private matter," the group said. "We deeply deplore this incident, which has embarrassed the city's residents."

The group called on the city council to investigate the circumstances through its ethics committee, impose stern disciplinary measures against A and issue an official apology over the controversy involving one of its members.

On the same day, four Gwangmyeong city councilors affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party also called for the strongest possible disciplinary action.

"Councilor A, who has disappointed residents, should immediately resign from his seat," they said.

Under the Local Autonomy Act, disciplinary measures against local council members can range from a warning and public apology to suspension from council meetings and, at the highest level, expulsion from the council.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.